Cullen is the Mr Bumble of New Zealand politics

Cullen really hates tax cuts. It goes against the grain. He told a Select Committee as much with a truly terrible comment.

[quote]Finance Minister Michael Cullen has described workersâ€™ approach to tax cuts as an Oliver Twist mentality â€“ they will just come back for more.[/quote]

I heard this comment in the house when Bill English was tearing into Cullen. Bill had some fantastic lines. He has put some of them again into his press release.

[quote]â€śAt least in Oliver Twist the poor house provided the gruel, whereas in Dr Cullenâ€™s world the poor have provided the gruel and he is reluctantly giving it back to them in teaspoonfuls.â€ť

â€śEvidence of Dr Cullenâ€™s control freakery is laid bare in the papers released after his last Budget, when he warned his colleagues that their record spending spree would keep interest rates higher for longer."

â€śNew Zealanders need only to reflect on his track record with personal tax reductions. He cancelled the so-called chewing gum tax cuts because New Zealanders werenâ€™t grateful enough â€“ then went on to knowingly bump up interest rates."